Dr Mobeus
Drop Scones
Drop scones, known to many as Scotch pancakes, are the fastest thing you can cook on a griddle: a thick batter, a dry pan, sixty seconds a side. They need one egg, one spoon of sugar and no rising time, which makes them the teatime bake for when there is nothing in the cupboard but basics.
A batch of 12 costs about £1.20 including a drizzle of golden syrup to serve, which is roughly 10p a scone. Compare that to a packet of pancakes from the bakery aisle and the maths does itself.
The batter wants to be thick enough to sit up in the pan rather than spread into a crepe. If your first test scone runs too thin, whisk in another spoonful of flour; too stiff, add a splash of milk. The first one is the calibration scone, as every griddle cook knows.
Drop Scones
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Add the egg and about two thirds of the milk and whisk into a thick, smooth batter, adding the rest of the milk a splash at a time until the batter drops heavily from the whisk.
- Let the batter rest for 5 to 10 minutes while you heat a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. A rest makes lighter scones, so do not rush this bit.
- Rub the pan with a little butter on a piece of kitchen paper. Drop tablespoons of the batter into the pan, well spaced, to make rounds about 7cm across.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbles rise and pop on the surface and the underside is golden. Flip and cook the other side for another minute until golden and cooked through.
- Stack the scones on a plate under a clean tea towel to keep them soft and warm, and repeat with the rest of the batter, buttering the pan lightly between batches. Serve warm with golden syrup or jam.
Tips and Variations
Keep the pan at a steady medium-low heat so the middles cook through before the outside burns. Add a handful of sultanas or blueberries to the batter, or a pinch of cinnamon, and cold leftover scones are perfect toasted the next day with butter. The dry mix can be made up in a jar ahead of time so a batch is never more than an egg and some milk away.
